Pipe organ



A. H. MARKS June 11, 1935.

P IPE ORGAN Filed May 22, 1935 Patented June 1 1, 1935 Arthur H. Marks,New

York, N. Y., assignor to Aeolian-Skinner Organ Company, Inc.,Dorchester, Mass.,,a corporation of Massachusetts Application May 22,1933, Serial No. 672,100%

4 Claims.

This invention relates to an improvement in pipe organs, and moreparticularly to such organs wherein the pipes are arranged in two ormore groups, certain at least of which groups of pipes 5 are mounted inacoustically insulated housings,

each housing being provided with one or more microphone and amplifierassemblies by which the sound vibrations are transmitted as electricalvibrations to sound receivers.

Heretofore it has been thought impossible to provide full organ andpedal effects in a pipe organ except by installing a great number ofrows of pipes, i. e., stops, a practice which is very expensive andwhich requires considerable space.

The primary object of this invention is to provide a pipe organ whereinfull organ. efiects and/or pedal effects can be obtained without thegreat expenditure of money and space previously thought essential, suchorgan comprising, for example, in combination with a group of pipeswhich speak directly into the auditorium and by which the organist canproduce a suitable variety of tone colors, which group forms the soloorgan, one or more groups of stops acoustically insulated and speakinginto that auditorium indirectly through microphone and amplifierassemblies, one such group being employed to produce full organ effectsand another group forming the pedal organ and being employed to producepedal effects.

Other objects will appear from a consideration of the followingdescription of this invention and of the drawing which forms a partthereof and which illustrates diagrammatically a pipe organ embodyingone form of this invention.

The console I0 is provided with stop knobs 20, manuals 2| and 22 and apedal bank 23 of the usual type, the number and arrangement of the stopknobs, manuals and pedal banks of the console being varied as desired.

The numeral I2 designates the solo organ of the organ which comprises agroup of stops or sets of pipes on which the organist plays with onemanual 2| and certain stop knobs to produce certain tone color effects.These stops speak naturally and directly into the auditorium in theusual manner. The numeral l4 designates the great organ of the organ andcomprises a group which includes stops or sets of pipes, two or threestops being usually sufiicient, acoustically insulated from theauditorium and speaking thereinto through a microphone 25 and amplifierassembly including an amplifier control unit 26 and a loud speaker 21.The stops forming the group M are caused to speak by the manual 22 andcertain stop knobs in the usual way from the console including a controlknob 28 connected to the amplifier control unit 26 by a suitable lead 29by which the degree of amplification of the output of the stops iscontrolled. Thus the organist can obtain from the stops a range of anydesired volume which may be that customarily obtained or, if desired, ofa fullness and majesty previously obtained only with the largest andmost complete full organ installations. lhe numeral 16 designates agroup which, like the group I4, includes stops or sets of pipes, two orthree stops being usually sufiicient, acoustically insulated from theauditorium and speaking thereinto through a microphone and amplifierassembly. The stops of this group form the pedal organ of the organ andare caused to speak from the console by the pedals in the usual way. Inaddition the amplification of the output of the pipes is under thecontrol of the organist so that the range may be varied from very softto very loud and be comparable to that of the pedal department of thelargest organs. Such control is shown as similar to the control of theorgan l4 and comprises a microphone 30, an amplifier control unit 3|, aloud speaker 32, a control knob 33 and a lead 34.

Thus the console l5 of the simplest form of organ embodying thisinvention may comprise a manual 21 by which the solo stops in the group12 are played, a second manual 22 by which the full organ stops in thegroup M are played, a pedal bank 23 by which the pedal stops in thegroup i6 are played, suitable stop knobs and controls by which theamplification of the output of the stops in groups M and I5 areregulated. The stops forming the groups 14 and i6 are enclosed inhousings 35 and 36 of soundproof material so that they do not speakdirectly into the auditorium. Should it be desired the stops forminggroups 14 and I6 may be enclosed within a single housing and a morecompact organ obtained. Controls may be provided at the console so thatgroup I4 or group IE or both may also function as swell or echo organs.

In the above description and in the claims the term auditorium is usedto designate the chamher or compartment into which the solo stops speakdirectly and the full organ and pedal stops speak indirectly. It will beunderstood that the audition of the music from the organ may be in suchchamber or compartment or may be at other locations in which thecombined output of the organ is reproduced by the use of microphones andloud speakers or radios.

I claim;

1. A pipe organ comprising a group of stops which speak directly into anauditorium and a second group of stops which speak indirectly into thatauditorium, said second group of stops being acoustically insulated fromthe first group and speaking indirectly into the auditorium through aloud speaker. r

2. A pipe organ comprising a group of solo stops which speak directlyinto an auditorium and by which the organist can produce a suitablevariety of tone colors and a second group of stops acousticallyinsulated from the first group and speaking indirectly into thatauditorium through a loud speaker and by which the organist can producefull organ effects.

3. A pipe organ comprising a group of solo stops which speak directlyinto an auditorium and by. which the organist can produce a suitablevariety of tone colors and a second group of stops acousticallyinsulated from the first group and. speaking indirectly into thatauditorium through a loud speaker and by which the organist can producepedal efiects.

4. A pipe organ comprising a group of solo stops which speak directlyinto an auditorium and by which the organist can produce a suitablevariety of tone colors and a second group of stops acousticallyinsulated from the first group and speaking indirectly into thatauditorium through a loud speaker and by which the organist can producefull organ eifects and a third group of stops acoustically insulatedfrom the other groups and speaking indirectly into that auditoriumthrough a loud speaker and by which the produce pedal efiects.

ARTHUR H. MARKS.

organist can

